# nmail vs Wanderlust

- nmail: Terminal email client for Linux and macOS with an Alpine-like interface and built-in IMAP and SMTP.
- Wanderlust: Mail and news reader for Emacs, written in Emacs Lisp, with built-in IMAP, POP3, NNTP and SMTP support.

## Differences

- nmail is a full-screen terminal client; Wanderlust is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only Wanderlust has built-in POP3 and Maildir.
- On Windows, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs through WSL.
- On BSD, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs natively.
- On Android, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs through Termux.
- Wanderlust has mouse support; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has OpenPGP; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has multiple accounts; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has threaded views; nmail does not.
- nmail is written in C++; Wanderlust in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: nmail uses ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file, and Wanderlust uses Emacs Lisp in ~/.wl, folder list in ~/.folders.

## Side by side

| | nmail | Wanderlust |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | C++ | Emacs Lisp |
| License | MIT | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Not supported | Through WSL |
| BSD | Not supported | Native |
| Android | Not supported | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | No | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | No | Yes |
| mbox | No | No |
| notmuch | No | Through a separate tool |
| OpenPGP | No | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | via oauth2.el |
| Threads | No | Yes |
| Search | local cache index and server search | IMAP server-side search; local search via mu, notmuch, grep or namazu |
| HTML mail | converted to text, or opened in an external browser | via mime-w3m (emacs-w3m) |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | No | Yes |
| Offline use | local SQLite cache; offline mode and send queue | message cache and disconnected operation |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | address book built from messages | built-in address book |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file | Emacs Lisp in ~/.wl, folder list in ~/.folders |

Pages: [nmail](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmail/index.md), [Wanderlust](https://terminalemail.com/clients/wanderlust/index.md)